Memorial Service for Joe Blasczyk

Welcome and invocation

Good morning everyone, and on behalf of the Family of Joe I want to thank you for being here. Today is surly a day of weighty sorrow, and of mourning, as we gather together it is right and natural for us to miss someone as precious as Joe, but it is also for those who believe a day of rejoicing and hope, for we do not mourn like those who have no hope. So I pray that your souls are blessed by our time together this morning. let us open with a word of prayer

Our Holy Father who is in heaven. great and mighty is your name. WE praise you and thank you for another day that you have made. a day that thought our hearts are filled with sorrow we still proclaim that you are good, and your mercies and grace and shown to us, in the midst of and even through trials and struggles. We pray that your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Show your great power and might here today. Give us this day those things we need. your mercy and peace your grace and your sustaining power at work with in us. and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. help us be a people who live in your forgiveness and who live out your forgiveness. In Jesus most precious name we pray. AMEN.

Hymn: When we all Get to heaven!

Old Testament Reading: Psalm 23 (Zora Poland)

Psalm 23 ESV

A Psalm of David. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Reading of the Obituary

A time of Remembrance

At this time we would like to open the floor up to those who have a thought or a memory, something of Joe that you would like to share. We do ask that we keep this fairly brief. We are all here because Joe touched our life in some way or another, and this is a time for us to share that with one another. but before we begin, there are a few that are unable to come, due to various reasons and so they have sent some thoughts to us. we will start by reading those and then we will have a mic going around for us here to share.

Congregational hymn: this world is not my Home

PowerPoint Presentation

New Testament Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (Desiree Poland)

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 ESV

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Homily

There is in the book of Romans one particular passage that is for all believers a singular source of hope, and joy, confidence and peace. It is classically known as the Golden Chain. Romans chapter 8 verses 29 through 30: “ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified”

Paul’s desire here is to chain together the hope of the promise of life lived in Christ. Those whom God knew before the beginning of time, before the foundations of the earth were laid were known, here predestined, and also Called. But leaving not one out those who are called are justified, those sins are forgiven and they are made new in the precious blood of Jesus. And finally those who are justified, each and every one of them, bound by this great golden chain will be glorified. That is the hope that we have for the future.

Those who knew Joe knew that he held tightly to all of those golden links - and now we proclaim he has laid hold the ultimate gleaming link as he is Glorified with his savior and lord, Jesus Christ. He is now in possession of the great riches of heaven, he is a fully realized joint heir with Christ, he has now fully grasped the richness of the promise of being glorified with Christ.

And it is there, in the glory of the final prize that we will spend the next few moments contemplating. The reason that I find this so important and pertinent is that in times like this, in times of great grief, we are most impressed with and impacted by thoughts on eternity. The death of a loved one opens our eyes to visions of heaven. Thus we believe that though these are times of great grief, they are also times of great grace. This is the thought behind the preacher of Ecclesiastes when he writes “It is better to go to the house of mourning that the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart” (Eccl. 7:2) So as we consider the place that Joe now resides we can rest in some sweet moments of grace as the Truths of God minister to our hearts. The hope is that all of us can benefit as we contemplate the final golden link in the chain of salvation. and reflect on the hope we have for us, but keenly here today, the hope we have for Joe.

First we can say that Where Joe is today is a definite and real locality, not just some spiritual state. Joe is not floating around on some cloud, Jesus himself made this abundantly clear. “In My fathers house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if i go and prepare a place for you, i will also come and take you myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2-3) The language here indicates that for us are permanent rooms, dwelling places of the children of God - Real habitable, personal abodes. What a comforting thought!. This is often difficult for us to grasp and not likely easy for the writers of God’s words to communicate to us. How can the glorious thoughts of the infinite richness of heaven make sense to frail human minds such as ours. How can we describe the beauty and grace and worthiness of heaven to people such as us? So we try as we might to wrap our minds around the truths of heaven.

Joe is in a home designed for him by the one who is the architect of universe and more importantly the savior of his soul. The room he dwells in now is a perfect place for him, made in perfect love by the perfect friend who is closer than a brother. And the point here, and what we cannot miss today is that this is not just some quaint platitude, rather this is what we hold to be true reality, truer, in fact, than what our physical eyes can see. Heaven is described as “far better” in the book of Philippians. For it is “far better” to be with Christ. It is “far better” to dwell with him and thus for Joe in his glorification he is now “far better”.

So our we are commanded then to “let not your hearts be troubled. Trust in the lord, in his goodness his grace and mercy, trust in Jesus Christ our Lord. And as we trust in this goodness and grace and mercy, we can say more about the precious link of the chain called glorification that Joe now holds so tightly. We can say that it is glorious because of what is NOT there.

It is a place where death is no more. As John Owen said, “In the death of Christ Death itself has died”. Jesus says of believers in Luke 20:36 that “they Cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are the sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.” Relentless, enduring, glorious life eternal courses through his soul.

As a pastor we are called to deal with death maybe more than a lot of people, and So I have spent a bit more time contemplating it than I wish I must. And this I will tell you, death is not natural. Adam and eve, created in the garden were not created to die rather they were created to fellowship with God and feast on the tree of life, but when sin entered the world death came with it and now we all know its sting for it is common to all men. But this does not make it any easier or feel any more natural. It is always wrenching, painful for those of us who are left behind. But here then is the hope of heaven, yes for us there is a sting, yes for us there is pain as we mourn the loss of Our friend, our brother, our loved one Joe. But now, for Joe there is no more death!

This is our comfort and our hope. In heaven there is no death, the thoughts of separation and the pain associated with it are gone, the dark cloud of death that for us looms ever present has been lifted for Joe. For us there is for a time sorrow, but then, and this is where Joe is now, glorious life eternal.

So we can mourn, that is the language of this world, and the plight that every human who has ever walked this earth has experienced. Even our Savior wept at the thought of losing his friend Lazarus, and he wept knowing that he would raise him from the dead! So know that while we experience this pain, for Joe, the sting of death has been removed!

Which leads to the next thought of what we know is NOT there in our glorification, there is no more death and there is NO MORE SORROW.

In the book of Revelation, chapter 21 verse 4 we read that “He will wipe away every tear form their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” WE have tears, and rightly so, but Not so with Joe. Though the stars fade, the sun burn out Joe will never again suffer hurt, grief, bereavement or even a lump in his throat.

There is even NO MORE PAIN. It is tough to suffer the ravages of aging, the pain of living in this frail body and all that goes with that, but no longer is there any pain for Joe. There is no pain, there is no weariness. No pain of this body, or pain of the soul, there is in heaven no heartbreak or sorrow of any kind. For above all else Heaven is glorious because of what is NOT there when we understand that there is nothing there that defiles

Continuing on In Revelation chapter 21 we will read that “nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable and false, but rather only those whose name is written in the lambs book of life.

Over the course of the other links in the chain, namely justification and sanctification God has woven Godliness into Joe’s life and into his soul. Such that all those who knew him and met him would say: there is something different about him. There is a phrase, I believe it was originally thought of as a negative, "That someone is too heavenly minded to do any earthly good”. But I would say of Joe that he was so heavenly minded that he was empowered to do a whole lot of earthly good.

He was a man who dedicated his whole life to service to the Lord, a Pastor, an elder, but most importantly as a blood bought saint of the living God he was one who would “proclaim the excellencies of him who saved him” in each and every conversation. Those of us who knew Joe saw manifest in his life the fruit of the Spirit, Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self control, and now in heaven those fruits have bloomed to their fullness as he is glorified with his savior. And this Is the final thought I leave you with, Heaven is glorious because of what is NOT there surely, but it is truly heaven because of what, or rather WHO is there.

Jesus Christ, our Lord is the centerpiece of heaven. As the Hymn by Samuel Rutherford “The sands of time are sinking” proclaims: “The Lamb IS all the glory of Emmanuel's Land!” And Joe has now seen the precious lamb and what is more has become like him as the scriptures promise. 1 John 3:2 “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we do know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” So now, we do believe and proclaim, Joe is right now like his savior.

The puritan preacher her john Donne in a homily at a funeral once said of this our hope in the resurrection: “I revel in this: that I shall be so like my savior that that the devil himself shall not know me from him. He will not be able to tempt me any more than he could tempt him. Nor will there be any more chance of me falling out of that kingdom there three is chance God himself would.” And this is our hope, that Joe is sure and secure and hid IN christ. And there he is worshipping in Glory.

As believers we should be filled with a worshipful sense of what one writer called “the divine paternity.” as the Holy Spirit within us leads us to cry out “abba, father”.. And now, perfectly in heaven “Abba Father” is the song of Joe for all eternity. He experiences total and perfect peace. And he does so in worship of the God of the universe.

And one more thought, he does not do this alone. For the same spirit that empowers and enlivens Joe Does so for all saints. So In heaven with ALL BELIEVERS from ALL time, from the times of Moses up to David through the Apostles and now even to us there has been added the voice of Joe, singing “Worthy is the Lamb” and “HOLY HOLY is HE!” While we may sorrow there is no word that can fully encapsulate the joyous praise that Joe is experiencing.

And so here is my comfort to all of us who mourn. All of this we have described, from what is NOT there to what is there is Joe’s to experience to it’;s fullness, because he was held by the great golden chain of our salvation. To remind us - Romans chapter 8 verses 29 through 30: “ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified”

SO today, while we may have entered here today this palace as a house of mourning, hear these words that will benefit your souls, here these tender moments of the mercy of God, know, as Joe did, that for all believers to live is Christ and to Die is gain.

But I do not want to leave here without some words for YOUR souls, and I believe some words that Joe would want me to say.

1. Know this, you are made in the image of God, and therefore you have worth and weight and dignity. But more importantly as one made by God you have been made as one with a Body and also an immortal soul, and the destiny of your soul rests on whether you hear and believe the gospel or not.

2. So then hear the Gospel. Jesus Christ, is the ONLY hope for your soul, he is the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the father except through him. So

3. Trust in the all sufficient power of the death and resurrection of Christ. By his stripes we are healed. I do not think it is a coincidence that we are having this service on Good Friday, the day that we remember the death of Christ, for BY HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED, and the chastisement that brings us peace is placed upon him.

4. So trust in the precious gift of God’s grace. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone according to the scriptures alone for the glory of God alone. As Romans 11:6 says: if it is by grace it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace” so here is my call to you:

5. Have faith in Jesus Christ our Lord Romans 10:9-10 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

So here is my heart, give priority to these things today. It is far better to go into the house of mourning for here we are confronted with these truths, that this life is fleeting and our only hope in this life and most importantly in the next is to cry out to Jesus. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and yet lose his soul? So I beg of you today, do not leave this palace unchanged by the power of the gospel. It is the free gift available to all who will call upon Jesus.

So I am going to ask that we all bow our heads in reverence as we contemplate these things for a second. In the book of acts, Paul and Silas are approached by the Philippine jailer and he asks them a question that we all must ask at some point in our lives: what must I do to be saved. And the response of Paul and Silas is as profound as it is simple: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” So I am going to say a prayer, it is not some magical prayer, the power is not in the words, but in the one that the words are directed to and about, Jesus Christ. But I would encourage you, if you want the hope that Joe had in this life and the next say the following prayer with me. And if you are a believer, if you have passed a similar prayer to this already, I encourage you to say the words of this prayer in your heart too, as a wonderful reminder of what it is to follow Jesus.

Lets PRAY:

Almighty God, I come before you a broken sinner, one who knows and understands that I am hopeless and helpless without a savior. I trust and believe in Jesus Christ to be that savior that I so desperately need. Forgive me my sins and help me to truly repent, to turn away. Help me to follow you. Be the lord of my life, be my savior and my king. Bind me to yourself, for you are my only hope. It is in Jesus' name we pray. AMEN

Here is my final message of hope and encouragement, for all of us who have cried out to Jesus, the same hope that Joe had, the same hope we read of in Scripture we now possess.

Congregational hymn: “What a day that will be!”

Benediction

1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 ESV

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

Graveside Service:

Welcome and prayer:

Thank you all for coming. as the scriptures say ashes to ashes and dust to dust, so it is both right and fitting for us to gather together today to commit the body of Joe into the earth. let us begin with a word of Prayer.

Holy father, the creator and sustainer of life, we humbly come before you today. Meet with us. be with us give us your grace and mercy that we may be yours. Comfort our weary hearts and give us hope for tomorrow. hope in your glorious truth, hope in your son. for it is in his name that we pray, the name above all other names that we pray, the name of Jesus Christ our lord. AMEN

Scripture reading:

For a few scripture readings for us today: we will start in the Old Testament, in the book of Daniel

Daniel 12:2–3 ESV

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

and this promised Resurrection for the righteous becomes for Paul the source of ALL our Hope:

1 Corinthians 15:12–20 ESV

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

And Peter likewise encourages all believers with the Resurrection:

1 Peter 1:3–5 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

And for all of us this hope lies in the truth that Jesus rtaised first:

John 20:1–23 ESV

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

And so it is with hope of the Resurrection that we commit the body of Joe into the ground.

Words of committal:

From the Book of Common Prayer:

Forasmuch as it has pleased almighty God of his great mercy to take unto himself the soul of our dear Brother Joe, now departed: we therefore commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our vile body that it may be like his glorious body, according to the mighty working of his power, whereby he will subdue all things to himself.”

Please join me in saying the Lords Prayer:

Matthew 6:9–13 ESV

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

AMEN